


Fit for a Prince

by TheKingisaGirl



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Adoption, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Angst with a Happy Ending, Gen, parenting, pre-Regal Beliver
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-04
Updated: 2017-10-04
Packaged: 2019-01-08 20:51:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,831
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12261852
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheKingisaGirl/pseuds/TheKingisaGirl
Summary: The adoption is on it's way and Regina has to face the very real fact that she will soon be a mother.Pre-RegalBeliever One shot





	Fit for a Prince

“Do you have any idea who I am?!”

 

It wasn’t said with her usual stern low voice that made enemies wither and subjects crumble. In fact it wasn’t said with much voice at all. It was more of a breathless sob.

 

The all-powerful, feared Evil Queen, enactor of the curse to end all curses, Regina fucking Mills who had trapped a damn dragon, was sobbing in a strip mall.

 

So how did she get here? She needed to reevaluate. Apparently one did not need pregnancy hormones to become completely unhinged at the prospect of expecting a child.

 

Another reason Regina felt adoption was completely valid concept. The process may be different but it came with its own struggles. Maybe not specifically this one, from a legal standpoint but that fact was far from her mind as she sunk to the floor holding a breast pump in one and a stuffed shark in the other.

 

The events that had led up to this point in her day were extraordinary, that much was true. She had received a call from the adoption agency earlier in the week and had her interview today. She had driven to Boston with the fake documents she found in the folder neatly labeled “important documents” in her closet.

 

Her curse was nothing if not helpful.

 

In truth, she had wanted to stop by the Imp’s shop to complain about the fact that she actually had to go through the process. She realized, however, that it was not as entertaining to bicker with his cursed personality, and she couldn’t figure out if he knew who he really was.

 

So she drove to Boston without having taken her frustration out on him. She had sat through the ridiculous questioning, as if it wasn’t already clear that she would receive the child. Until that point it had all been just as well, if annoying.

 

At the end of her appointment, the friendly man had advised her that she would hear back within the week and she should probably start preparing for the little boy.

 

She had wanted to snap at him that she knew very well that preparation was necessary. She didn’t, however, because the curse could not take care of everything and if she made the mistake of putting this man in his place, the adoption could fall through.

 

During the nearly two hour drive home, she began to think that maybe his words weren’t too ridiculous. What had she done to prepare? The guestroom wasn’t cleared out, never mind painted, there was no adequate furniture not even a crib and…. Oh God, the house. It was a death trap! What if the baby put something into the socket or got into the carving knives? 

 

She was completely unprepared. She needed to shop. In this world she did not have her magic. She couldn’t just magic these things into existence like the fake documents that now seemed to be accusing her, in the briefcase on the passenger seat. She wasn’t playing by this world’s rules. She was cheating. She was doing it wrong

 

So she took the closest off-ramp and pulled into the parking lot of the first mall  she found.

 

That’s how it had started. She had lost all confidence by the time she had entered the store that sold all types of “baby supplies”.

 

Everything was white and shades of soft pink and baby blue. It was meant to be soothing but Regina was anything but calm. She felt overwhelmed. She grabbed a shopping basket and started walking deeper into the store. She could do this. She had been to Wonderland and back. This was easy.

 

“Hi, can I help you with something?” A blond girl with braces in a green vest asked her.

 

She could not have been older than 19 and was smiling incessantly. Of course she was smiling. Her life wasn’t about to be turned on its head by a little human who was likely to injure himself with a serrated blade.

 

“Do I look like I need help?!” Regina snapped. 

 

The girl had a genuinely confused look on her face. As if she was considering Regina’s face. She reminded herself that it probably wasn’t a common occurrence, for customers to address baby store employees in such an irritated manner. So she adjusted her ton.

 

“I’m looking for...the basics,” The smile was back and it was so broad Regina could see the little pink rubbers around her braces.

 

“For a baby shower?” The girl, whose name tag read Melody, asked.

 

“No.” Regina said trying to avoid her, instead looking around at the abundance of items.

 

“Ohh, I see, getting an early start!” Melody giggled.

 

Regina cringed. 

 

“I need the basics.”

 

“Of course, well we could start with a cirb and a changing station. You’ll probably want to save the small things like bottles and onesies for later, those are typical shower gifts,” Melody said as she lead a reluctant Regina to the display section.

 

A baby shower. Miss happy-go-lucky Melody assumed Regina would have a baby shower. That she had friends, or even family that would gift her with things for the baby. She was wrong, and Regina was even more worried. 

 

She was an island. She needed no one, but what if her son did? What if she wasn’t enough? Why would  _ she _ of all people be enough?

 

“So this is our selection. You want to make sure not to use blankets in early months because of asphyxiation, and that the bed is not overcrowded by stuffed animals.” Melody’s high-pitched voice interrupted her train of thought.

 

Probably for the best. Self Deprecation was not helpful right now and- wait.

 

“Asphyxiation? In his crib?” Regina asked incredulous.

 

“Oh yes, but it’s easily avoidable.”

 

Oh God. What was she thinking? How was she going to keep this little person, with a literal self-destruct button  _ on his head _ alive? Not to mention happy?

 

As Melody went on about cribs and bassinets and the like, Regina retreated further and further into her own mind. By the time Melody had moved onto changing tables and  _ their _ safety aspects, Regina was only catching snippets of what she was saying. Mostly it was white noise with a undertone of a high beeping.

 

“...And if you’re planning on breastfeeding then you’ll need pumps so if-”

 

“What?”

 

“Breastfeeding?” Melody repeated.

 

“I...I can’t. I can’t breastfeed him.”

 

“Oh well that’s okay, formula has been proven to be just as healthy and-”

 

“No! No it’s not okay, MELODY! I won’t even be able to feed my son!”

 

“Ma’am, really, there is nothing wrong with formula,” Melody insisted with a reassuring smile

 

“What do you know? How old are you even?” Regina shrieked.

 

“I…” Melody’s eyes darted back and forth as if looking for the closest exit.

 

“Look at this thing! It’’s ridiculous! All of this is ridiculous!” Regina said picking up a breast pump and waving it into the young womans face.

 

“And the choking and the fontenelle? And the rolling off surfaces? How is it our race reproduces at all?!”

 

Regina was now yelling, causing other customers to look over. Her anger quickly dissipated as she realized that this wasn’t a human race problem. This was a Regina problem. All these women were shopping normally and had no worries.

 

“Do you have any idea who I am?!” She should be able to do this. She had conquered realms and cast curses.

 

Regina sank to her knees, barely noticing a second, much older salesperson in a much larger green vest approach Melody.

 

“Is everything all right here?” The older woman asked.

 

“Nothing is all right here. This was a mistake. I can’t do this. _ I _ can’t do this. They can.” Regina said waving her hand vaguely around and her voice losing its volume and bite.

 

“I got this, Melody, why don’t you go take over checkout.”

 

“Thanks Dolores,” Melody muttered and fled. Coward.

 

“Now let me guess. First one?” Dolores said as she let herself down onto the floor next to Regina with a little grunt.

 

“You’re not going to ask me if I’m breast-feeding are you?” Regina whispered.

 

“No, honey.”

 

“Because I can’t. He’s not mine. I’m adopting.” Regina said in a resigned ton.

 

“I don’t see how that wouldn’t make ‘im yours but why don’t you and I take a deep breath?”

 

And she did. Because at this point what else would she do? And surprisingly, it calmed her a bit. Her voice returned.

 

“I apologize for the yelling.”

 

“Darling, this is a baby store. You might not be pregnant but a lot of people who come in here are and they have raging hormones on top of all their worries. It’s the girl’s first week.”

 

Regina still frowned.

 

“Good to break ‘er in.” Dolores said with a wink.“Now. Did you hear what I said?” 

 

Regina nodded obediently. There was something about this woman. Her relentless softness was like a invisible shield to the usual cruelty Regina met the world with.

 

“Y’all come in here with the same scared look on your face the first time. You're not alone in what you’re feeling. I heard you hollering something about the human race surviving? Think about how lucky you are. You could be pressing this kid out in a field somewhere after a twelve hour day of farm work without so much as an aspirin.”

 

As she spoke she took Regina’s hand in hers. Which the Evil Queen allowed for...some reason.

 

“Instead, you have all the marvels of modern medicine and technology. You got baby phones and pediatricians and more books on the matter than you can count.”

 

“Okay.” Regina agreed meekly.

 

“And what’s more important, it’s not what you got, but what the baby’s got. You. You’re his mother. You’re the perfect person for him. You’re gonna watch over him and protect him and that means he’s gonna be just fine.”

 

Regina took another calming breath and looked over to Dolores, finally coming back into herself.

 

“Now get the hell off this damn floor, my lunch break started 2 minutes ago.”

 

Regina’s lips pursed but she was too thankful to expel her usual venom. So she got off the damn floor patted off her tailored pencil skirt and left the store. 

 

She didn’t buy a thing. She didn’t thank Dolores, and she certainly never went back.

 

She did her baby shopping in the little store in Storybrooke. In her town, for her son. And maybe it wasn’t her last freak out over parenthood, but it was the last one that was as public. 

 

Not because of her pride, or her image, which were both important or because that would mean showing weakness to the peasants, but because she understood that it was her job now to keep it together, at all costs. She was the mother and her son would rely on her. 

 

From now on it would be just the two of them. Regina and her little Prince.


End file.
